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NC Courthouse Fires

The destruction of courthouses greatly affects genealogists in every way. Not only are these historic structures torn from our lives, so are the records they housed: marriage, wills, probate, land records, and others. Once destroyed they are lost forever. Even if they have been placed on mircofilm, computers and film burn too. The most heartbreaking side of this is the fact that many of our courthouses are destroyed at the hands of arsonist. However, not all records were lost.

Alleghany – 1932 (fire, record loss)

Alexander – 1865 (civil war, record loss), 1967 (fire)

Craven – 1712 (records destroyed by Indians)

Anson – 1868 (fire)

Ashe – 1865 (fire, records fragmented)

Bladen – 1770 (fire), 1800 (fire), 1893 (fire)

Brunswick – 1865 (civil war, record loss), 1957 (clerk’s office fire)

Buncombe – 1830 (fire), 1865 (fire)

Burke – 1865 (civil war, record loss)

Cabarrus – 1876 (fire)

Cherokee – 1865 (fire), 1895 (fire), 1926 (fire)

Chowan – 1848 (records destroyed by acting clerk)

Clay – 1870 (fire, records destroyed)

Craven – 1712 (records destroyed by Indians)

Currituck – 1842 (fire)

Davidson – 1866 (fire)

Gaston – 1874 (fire)

Greene – 1876 (fire)

Guilford – 1781 (fire), 1872 (fire)

Harnett – 1892 (fire), 1894 (fire)

Haywood – 1932 (records destroyed in move to new courthouse)

Hertford – 1830 (fire), 1822 (fire)

Hyde – 1789 (fire), 1827 (fire)

Iredell – 1854 (fire)

Jackson – 1913 (records lost when county seat moved)

Jones – 1862 (fire)

Lenoir – 1878 (fire), 1880 (fire)

Lincoln – 1797 (records may have been destroyed by fire in private home)